Cape Town:Australia’s Steve Smith and David Warner will return to Newlands on Wednesday, less than two years after they were central figures in one of cricket’s greatest scandals at the ground.
They will be playing in a series-deciding third Twenty20 international against South Africa in front of an expected capacity crowd where “maximum security” will be in operation to prevent any abuse of players. Smith and Warner were captain and vice-captain of Australia on March 24, 2018 when team-mate Cameron Bancroft was caught on television hiding a piece of yellow sandpaper in his trousers during the third day of the third Test. That evening Smith and Bancroft admitted in a press conference they deliberately tried to tamper with the ball. It quickly emerged Warner was the instigator in the “leadership group” that decided on the sandpaper ploy. The incident led to widespread condemnation, including from the then Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Smith and Warner were banned by governing body Cricket Australia for a year and Bancroft for nine months. Furthermore Warner was stopped from leading his country for life and Smith for a year. The sandpaper scandal came against the background of an already fractious tour in which Warner became a crowd target after an altercation with South Africa’s Quinton de Kock during the first Test in Durban. (AFP)
